Harry Potter and the Way of Things

Kings Cross

Hey Everyone, Sorry for not posting and taking a long Hiatus. We had some irl stuff to take care of so the long break and now we're back. 

Raven (The Author) told me to add this: First things first, If there's something you don't like, tell me in a politely worded review.

Secondly, I would like to thank my amazing Beta, Anony. Without Him I would never had had the confidence to publish the first chapter and they helped a great deal with writing, editing, grammar, and really helped pull the story together.

Thank you all for the 11k+ Views and 200+ Votes. Other than that Here's the next Chapter. New chapter coming Asap

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Harry got to Kings Cross Station early in the morning on September first. The train left at eleven am, so getting here at eight am gave him plenty of time to find the platform and choose a compartment. As far as he knew, there simply was no platform nine and three quarters. He figured that it's existence was something passed down by word of mouth in the Wizarding World, rather than something that was written about because he had yet to find anything about it in Hogwarts, a history, or any other book he had read so far. Harry was guessing that the entrance to the platform was like the Leaky Cauldron, in the way that it repelled muggles. Can't have a bunch of non-magical people showing up at the platform, he supposed.

After about 10 minutes of watching people that he couldn't seem to concentrate on disappear, Harry thought that he had figured it out. The people, Families, he had surmised, were families of magical folks, under notice-me-not charms. Those were likely purebloods, or even half-bloods, being dressed in robes to see their children off. Some families though, walked through the wall in everyday muggle clothes, not drawing any attention, not needing any charms.

It wasn't long after 8 am when Professor McGonagall showed up and stood waiting in her teaching robes, in the middle of the 9th platform, drawing plenty of attention. Harry supposed she was trying to make herself noticeable to the muggle parents of first generation witches and wizards, who would be staring at Hogwarts with him today.

He considers approaching her here, apologizing for his earlier behavior; the conversation he had with her in the alley had stuck with him. He knew just what he would say, and the soft, honey voice he would say it in. But no... there are too many people around, too many factors to skew any apology he might make. People could ask questions, he wanted to avoid that, if only to avoid making his professor more uncomfortable.

Harry had thought long and hard about what he had said to her, in all honesty, he had been rather rude. He had panicked, overreacted to an offer of help, even if it had been an unwanted one. Harry knew he would have to fix this, because his first impression of her had been a good one. She seemed like a good professor, and he would hate to be on her bad side.

But his apology would have to wait for Hogwarts, and the privacy it would bring. Perhaps he'd owl order her something. He had gotten all of the magical self updating catalogs, though he wondered what kind of gift it would be appropriate to give a teacher. Then a thought struck him: she was a teacher. He would use what she taught him and give her something related to the material.

Deciding to ask an older year on the train about what subject she taught, he turned and began to look for a family to follow in behind. After a few minutes of searching he spotted the perfect family. They had three kids, and two of them looked at least Hogwarts age. They didn't have robes on, but Harry could feel the magic coming off of them, so he decided to trail a short distance behind them as they walked through the barrier between platforms nine and ten.

Harry's first impression of the Hogwarts express was one of wonder. The scarlet Steam engine stood high above the crowd, though there weren't that many people milling about yet. A large sign hung above the train reading: Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock. Looking behind him, the way he had just come in, he saw a wrought iron archway, standing where the not-so-solid brick wall had been. Intricately designed into the wrought iron were the words, "Platform Nine and Three Quarters". The engine to the train steamed softly, adding a certain ambiance, a misty feel to the few people gathered there. A few animals walked, hopped or flew freely around the platform.

Harry, having gotten there early, knew there would be plenty of available compartments. He decided to pick a compartment somewhere in the middle of the train. Neither very close to the front, where the teachers' pets were bound to be, nor the back, where the troublemakers would likely sit.

Finding a compartment on the train wasn't hard, and Harry had no difficulty moving his trunk, owl cage, and book bag into the compartment. After all, the trunk and bookbag were charmed feather-light, and the cage was empty.

Harry had sent Willow on ahead to Hogwarts, which was confusing in and of itself. On one hand Willow seemed to be confident she could reach Hogwarts on her own. On the other hand, Harry knew she had never been there before, she was only about 5 months old according to the reading he had done, and her basic knowledge of time.

Once seated safely away in his compartment, Harry decided to meditate a bit before more people began to show up. Whenever Harry took a break to meditate, he would alway sort his memories up to that point in the day. That way, there were less memories and thoughts to put away before he went to bed. He was almost done, just sorting through the faces he had seen on the platform before he had boarded. He could tell that more people were arriving as time drew near to leave.

Just then a soft knock sounded on the door. Harry opened his eyes, and still staring at the window to the platform, said "Come in." in a voice loud enough to be heard through the door, which slid open to reveal Theodore, looking tired, disheveled, and with bags under his eyes. His trunk floated inches off the ground behind him

Something else looked off about him, but Harry couldn't place it, so he set the thought aside. "Hello Theodore. Won't you join me? I have a feeling this will be an interesting train ride, don't you?"